For example, a portable phone as a typical example of a portable electronic instrument is of collapsible type in which a portable phone body (a body portion and a joint portion) is collapsible.
This collapsible type is popular in aspects of preventing a switch from malfunctioning, making the phone compact when the phone is collapsed (to keep a display area sufficient), a variety of designs and the like.
Accordingly, while ones' eyes are kept on this collapsible type portable phone more and more, there are demands to provide a more useful phone.
The present applicant has made further experiments and studies repeatedly with respect. to the above-described hinge device and has developed a novel hinge device and an electronic instrument using the hinge device which is more valuable as a commercial product.